A changeling named Hunter and his band of misfits go out into the wastelands of equestria, exploring the secrets that both the past and present hold, and learning more about himself and his friends as his adventure goes on.
A changeling named Hunter and his band of misfits go out into the wastelands of equestria, exploring the secrets that both the past and present hold, and learning more about himself and his friends as his adventure goes on.
one of the crazed raiders opens fire, bullets whizzing past me as I run down the deserted street, as a sudden searing pain erupts as one grazes my flank. I yelp in pain as I quickly turn into an alleyway, running with full force.
“ find that bitch and bring me her head!”
Oh, right, I'm still disguised as a mare. I drop my disguise with a burst of green flame, revealing my changeling self. I reach the end of the alleyway and propel myself upward and over a chain fence with my insectoid wings. I land with a grunt, and take off toward the mountains.
“That, did not go well.”
Once I reach my little shelter, I shake off my saddlebags and plop down on the ground. I sigh, and begin to take inventory. I take the items one by one out lay them down on the ground in front of me. A sparkle cola, 23 bottle caps, some random bullets, and a small knife. I sigh again, and put the things back into the bag except the cola, and put the bag in the back of my shelter. I go back out front, lay down, and open the cola with my magic. I take a swig, and close my eyes as I contemplate what happened. Earlier today, I saw a caravan walking past, so i decided to take a closer look. They were a couple, with two foals. As they passed by, I could feel the love they had for one another, and I just knew I had to get some. I decided to disguise myself as a young mare, and feigned being injured farther down the pathway. It worked, and they took me in like a lost foal. There love was just so sweet, I gladly drank it in. However, as we walked, the raiders that were after me a while back, killed the whole family, including their Brahman. I took a random bag of theirs and ran for it. I open my eyes, take another swig of my drink, and go inside my makeshift shelter to sleep. Maybe I'll have better luck tomorrow.
As I slept, I was disturbed by a voice in my head; faint and far away, calling to me. I see an image of another changeling, this one is a female, and it was trying to tell me something. Her mouth moved, but no words came out. “What are you saying?” I call out. She begins to look frustrated, and scared, as she frantically tries to talk. All that came out were faint whispers. She starts waving her fore hooves, becoming panicked, trying to yell. “What do you want? I don't understand!” after I yell back to her, she begins to fade away into the blackness, still trying to speak.
I wake up with a start, breathing heavily, the dream still fresh in my mind. “What the hell was that?” I ask myself, both scared and confused to what I had just witnessed.
I look around, making sure that i am indeed still alone. Although the dream was over, i still could feel her presence. Calling to me. I get up from my bed, put on my gear, and walk out of my shelter. I walk out and enter into a crisp, cool night; gunshots and fires in the distance. I feel something pulling on my mind, a whispering urging me to leave, and find the changeling in my dream. I turn back and look on my makeshift shelter, pick up my hunting rifle, sling it on my back and head of into the wastes.
The pull on my brain is like a physical force, urging me farther along my path. I don't know where I was going, or exactly why I am doing it, but i'm determined regardless. As the morning light came out, more of the wastelands creatures came out with it. however, lucky for me, I'm stealthy enough to avoid them. As I walk around a large rock, I spot a small pack of rad roaches, and easily avoid them. However, the next thing I see is a giant glob of goo fly over my head, landing with a acidic hiss. I turn around, and spot the bloat sprite that flung the foul smelling goop at me.
“No you don't” I declare, in my buzzy insect voice.
As I sling my rifle around, standing on my hind legs, and holding the rifle in my fore hooves, I take aim.
Suddenly, the bloat sprite flings another ball of goop at me, hitting the barrel of my gun.
“Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me!”
I drop my rifle and quickly pull out my side arm, a simple 10mm pistol, and fire three shots at the foul creature. The first two missed, landing in the dirt, with the last one blowing the creature's head clean off. I holster my gun, and look down at my rifle. The goop covered the entire barrel, and is slowly dissolving it. I kick the rifle in disgust, and continue my journey.
When I finally reach a town, night has already begun. I put on a new disguise with a wave of green fire, a dark green stallion with a pea pod for a cutie mark, and messy brown hair and walk in. There is two guard towers, each with a guard in them armed with machine guns. They eye me suspiciously, but don't make any move to stop me. As I walk in, I can already see some of the shops closing up, there owners turning in for the night; I see a gun shop still open, a pristine spec ops sniper rifle on display. My eyes open wide as I quickly rush over to it.
“How much?” I ask.
A brown stallion with grey hair turns around to look at me.
“For what?” he answers, with a tired look on his face.
“Uh, that rifle you got there” I ask eagerly, trying to resist the urge to pull it out and test fire it.
“This?” he points to the gun, “ You look more like a farmer than a sniper.”
Well, underneath I look more like a creature from your nightmares than a pony, I think to myself. This conversation is going nowhere.
“Just, please tell me how much it is”
The stallion sighs, “2,000 caps.”
“2,000 CAPS?!? What, is it made of GOLD?!?”
“Look, I got a business to run here, 2,000 caps for the rifle, take it or leave it. Also, would ya mind toning it down a bit? Some ponies are trying to sleep.”
“Ugh, ok, let me see what I have.”
I open my saddle bag and take out my caps. 23 from the caravan owners, 56 from a cap stash I found, and 12 from here and there. That's not even 100 caps in total, and no where near 2,000. I sigh, and scoop my caps up back into my bag. Stupid money. Stupid rifle. Stupid shop owner. Well, I should at least have enough money to get a room for the night. Hopefully there's some couple there, too, as I do need love to survive and all. I leave the shop and I go to look for a place to sleep. I walk around town until finally I see a building that looks like an old hotel, and I go inside. I enter the building and see a mare standing behind the front desk, looking at a computer in front of her.
“Hello, and welcome to the cozy shack. A room for a day is 20 caps, 60 for the week, and we serve breakfast in the morning. Interested?” she finished with a monotone voice, almost as she has recited this exact saying every day for her entire life. Well, to be honest, she probably has.
“I'll take a room for the night please.”
“That’ll be 20 caps, sir.”
I place 20 caps on the counter, and she offers me a room key.
“Door to the left, 3rd floor. Room 206”
I take the key, and walk through the door. After following her instructions, I enter the room, lock the door behind me, and take off my saddle bags. The room is lightly furnished, a small, stained bed, a cracked mirror, and a table with a chair. I guess it will have to do. I un-disguise myself, and look at my reflection in the mirror. Yup, still a changeling. Although I enjoy being one, life has never been easy. Always hiding, always running, always alone. Steal love, leave. Steal love, then leave. I'm kinda sick of it. I want a friend. But i'm a monster, and monsters don't get friends. I lay down on the bed, and quickly fall asleep.
Once again I dream of the changeling, She is still trying to speak to me, but i'm still unable to hear her. Her eyes are scared and pleading, and the only thing I can understand is her mouthing the word please over and over again. I sit there, feeling confused and helpless, as I watch her trying to tell me something. She once again fades into the black, and I wake into the real world.
I swing my legs around the bed, sitting. I have never been more determined about doing something. I don't know what it is, but the urge to find her has never been stronger. I mean, I've never seen another changeling; heck, until now, I thought I was the only one. I open my maws in a big yawn, stretch, and hop off the bed. With a wave of green flame, i don my disguise, checking myself in the mirror. I better get some love today, if i want to sustain myself, and give me enough magic to finish my journey. I put on my saddle bags, holster my pistol, unlock the door, and step out into the hall. As I walk down the stairs, I catch a whiff of cooking bacon from downstairs, my mouth starting water. Although i only need love to survive, normal food still tastes good. And i haven't had any good meat in a while. I get to the bottom of the stairs, and walk into the lobby. The female receptionist is still standing behind the desk, typing away at her computer. She looks up, then back to the computer, pointing a hoof at the opposite door.
“Breakfast is being served in there”
I look to both sides of me,the room being empty, and realizing that i didn't see anyone in the hall or stairs coming down either, i started to think i was the only one here.
“Uh, where is everypony?” i ask.
“Once again the receptionist looks up from her computer, then back down before she answers.
“Mostly everypony's out working already, those who aren't will be either in the there eating,” she once again points to the other door, “or there still sleeping.”
Oh, good. I started to worry there. Cant exactly harvest love if you're the only one around. I walk to the door that the receptionist pointed out, and right before i go through i quickly thank her. I open the door, and enter a surprisingly large room, with multiple round tables with chairs scattered about the room. On one side there is a bar, with a male pony standing behind it. The entire room is well kept, the floor surprisingly shiny, like the wood is glossed. Nice. I walk to the pony at the bar, eager to see what the delicious food looks, and tastes like.
“I'd like some breakfast please”
The stallion looks at me with annoyance, points to a table on the other side of the room, and continues working.
“Uh, thanks?”
What was that about? As i look at the room i'm in, I notice that there are only two other ponies in here with me, not including the bartender. Although it was odd there were so few ponies, what really caught my attention is that neither of them were eating! But the meat smells wonderful! What could possibly be there reason for not eating any? I walk over to the table, and there are plates and bowls on top all filled with… slop? I walk a bit closer and take another sniff, and jump back at the horrid smell of the sludge on the plates. Now farther away, i take another sniff, and that wonderful smell of meat once again fills the air. I look around, absolutely perplexed at this, until i spot a small jar filled with a strange red liquid sitting on a pedestal. I walk up to it and see that there's a label on it, and it reads;
“ bacon scent. Nothing like waking up to the smell of bacon in the morning!”
Bacon scent!? You mean that there's no meat?!? I want meat! I stomp my hoof in frustration, grumbling. How can such a nice place have such terrible food? I begin to walk out, as the bartender stares at me with dagger eyes.
“Do we have a problem?”
“Nope, no problem.” I mumble back.
The problem, is that the food stinks! Literally! I walk out of the hotel, wishing that I could taste some red meat right now. I step outside, ready to move on to the next part of the plan before i head off to discover the source of the pull. Find love.
I begin to walk around town, the streets much more populated then last night. Ponies are buying and selling, and foals are playing and laughing. A nice place, but I don't plan on sticking around for long. I begin to scan the crowd, looking for some unsuspecting loving couples. At first i didn't see anypony that looks even remotely in love, until I spotted them. A cream colored mare with a pink mane, standing next to a blue stallion with light blue hair. They have two foals running around them, tackling and fighting one another. I can already smell the love that the two parents have for one another, and for their children. I walk closer, as the scent grows stronger with every step. I do my best to seem as inconspicuous as possible, making myself seem interested in the shops that surround me. Once i'm close enough, I activate my inner changeling magic. I begin to steal the love that the family is producing, enough to sustain me, but not enough for them to notice. Being to greedy, and taking too much can kill the host, and a pony suddenly dropping dead with me nearby is not a situation i want to be in. The family continues to play, as if nothing happened, completely and utterly unaware of the predator standing right by them. With my belly filled, and my body rested, it's time to once again head off into the wasteland.
My changeling ears twitch as I hear ponies voices below me. I crouch down low, my belly touching the rough dirt beneath me, as a crawl up the cliff's edge. Making sure that there is nopony up here with me, I glance down at the scene below. At the base of the cliff, I can see three tents facing into one another, with a burnt down firepit in the center. Outside of the tents were five raiders, poking and prodding some chained up ponies. The chained ponies rose up one by one, there legs barely supporting the weight of their bodies. As the raiders woke them up, one of the chained ponies didn't get up. The raider next to him called for the others, as they lifted him onto his hooves. however , as soon as they get him up, the second they let go, his limp body slumped back onto the ground. Before I could even react, the raider pulled out a gun and blasted the enslaved pony’s head clean off, blood and gore spraying onto the ponies nearby. The other slaves began to scream and shout, until the raider fired another round into the air to silence them. The raider at the front yelled for the slaves to march, as the other raiders cleaned up the campsite. I looked more closely at the slaves, and saw how they walked together in a line. Their dark, hollow eyes stared into the dirt beneath them as the began to march, ribs showing, and many of them displayed various degrees of abuse and torture. I could feel the hopelessness and despair radiating from these ponies, as they solemnly walked along. I just can't let this go past me. I’ve only heard of what slavers do to their slaves, and it's just plain wrong. I don't care what the world thinks of me, monster or not, i'm saving these ponies. I begin to slink back down the cliff, preparing a plan of attack.
It's fool proof. All I have to do is lay low, hide behind a rock and wait until the raiders pass by. As soon as they do, i'll jump out, gut them one by one, and free the slaves.Once the slaves are free, they will feel so much love and gratitude towards me I won't have to eat for another week! It's a win win situation! I run down the hill and pass the raiders, crawling through a rut in the side of the road to keep myself hidden from them. Once i'm about 10 yards in front of the convoy, I prepare myself to pounce. I take the form of a dark brown and green pegasus, spreading out my new feathered wings and prepared for flight. This is going to be so perfect! I can save these slaves, and head on my way. As soon the as convoy is about to reach me, I jump from my hiding spot, propelling myself through the air and pouncing the raider in the front.
Fuck. fuck it all. Shove a fucking stick up my ass and call it a dick, this is fucking bullshit. I slowly tredge side by side with the other slaves, my hooves chained with the others, and my wings bound by ropes to my sides. As soon as I lept from my hiding place, the unicorn rider blasted some sort of paralyzing spell at me, dropping me hard mid flight. The raiders just kept laughing and laughing at me, as the slaves just shook their heads. The raiders bound me up, and stuck me in line with the others where the slave that got his head blasted once stood. As soon as the spell wore off, I was nothing more but a slave like the others, being forced to march along the dusty road leading to who knows where to be sold. The slavers (mostly the mares, but a stallion did as well) found my “clean pegasus body” as quite the prize, as they whispered all sorts of plans of torture and rape that they had planned for me. I march along, seething with rage, but every time I tried to make a move the unicorn raider zapped me with a spell that forces my body calm, threatening to shoot me if i didn't knock it off. As we marched along, my eyes kept darting back and forth, hoping to find something, anything that I could use to escape. The raiders flanked us on all sides, guns at the ready, constantly shoving and hitting slaves that they felt were too slow. I made sure to keep up a good pace to try and avoid being hit, but I was bashed by a floating gun to the back of the head anyway from time to time. I really, really hate slavers. I wasn't scared as much as I was infuriated, my my fire soon died as I realized that I was indeed enslaved. We marched until night, and kept on marching until we finally reached a small clearing to make camp.
“Set up the tents over there, get a fire pit here, and can somepony please find me some damn whisky?” the unicorn barked to the other raiders. The raiders quickly set up the tents and the fire pit as they were ordered, and once they were done they began to stare into the group of slaves greedily, a mare in particular staring directly at me, a wicked grin across her face. Nope nope nope, I am getting out of here, right, now. A mare with a dirty pink coat and curly blue hair is pulled out from the chains, two bucks dragging her away into the tent, laughing as a blood curtailing scream erupted from the mare’s lips. As soon as they enter the tent, however, all sounds coming from the mare cease, leaving us all in utter silence.
“what ‘s going on?” I whisper to the slave next to me.
“Quiet!” he hissed back, “don't let them hear you!”
But my curiosity was stronger than my fear. “Why can't I hear anything from the tent?”
“The tent is in a bubble of silence, now stop taking before they hear you!”.
Bubble of silence? What in equestria is that? As I look closer at the tent, however, I indeed did see a thin, shimmering bubble surrounding the tent, with a pinkish glow to it.I shuddered at the thought of what those stallions were doing to that poor mare, and what kind of torture that they had planned for me later on. I can’t believe that I got myself into such a mess. I could have been well on my way by now, if I just would have left the caravan alone. Sure, i was only saving the slaves for love and gratitude, but I was still saving them, so that would have counted for something, right? As the last light of day faded away, we were ordered to lay on the ground where we stood. I myself plopped down quickly, tired from the forced march from before. As I look at some of the slaves around me, I realized how tired they must be from walking like these for weeks on end, with little food, water, and sleep. As the ponies around me closed there eyes, a haunting realization dawned on me as I realized that some of these ponies’ eyes won't open in the morning to come. I needed to make my escape tonight, while the slavers slept, and try to save as many of the slaves That i could. I’m a creature that feeds on love, after all. But for now, I just need to wait.
****
Night.
Slaves and raiders alike are sleeping on the ground, the slaves huddled next to one another to keep eachother warm throughout the night. All except me. I've kept awake, watching, and plotting my revenge. I don't even care about freeing the slaves anymore, as long as I get to rip the throat out of the damn unicorn that got me in this mess, I'm happy. Lucky for me, the raiders all decided to get drunk tonight. All but one. One of the guards assigned to watch us for the night decided to take it easy one the booze, and Is the only radier not dead drunk and asleep. It's one of the male raiders, green, spiked hair, with an ugly red coat. I couldn't see what his cutie mark was from spot, but to be honest I couldn't care less. He was a dead pony walking, and won't be sitting in his chair with that stupid smug face much longer. As soon as he looked the other way, I put my plan into action.
Quickly I transformed into a foal, my hooves free from the chains, and I shook off the loose ropes that once bound my wings to my side. Once I was free, I undisguised myself, reverting back to my original changeling form, and lept onto the surprised raider, and bit down with my fangs right into his exposed throat. With a swift pull of my head, I ripped the throat out of the raider, blood spraying all over myself and the slaves around me. Although I was fast enough to take the raider out before he could even make a sound, the awakened slaves began to scream at the sight of me, my body silhouetted by light from the fire, a monster.
“Aahhh! It's a monster! Were all going to die!” screamed a more, loudly sobbing while straining against the chains that held her to the other slaves.
“No! It's not what it looks like! I'm trying to save you all!” I yell back. Well, I will save them, but not until after I get my revenge on a certain unicorn.
Speaking of which, said unicorn came out from the tent, two other raiders flanking her sides, weapons drawn, looking around for what was causing all the fuss. The unicorn raider spots me immediately, her eyes narrowing at the sight of me. She begins to cast a spell, her horn glowing with a pink aura. I push myself off from the dead raider, open my mouth, spitting green goop from the glands in my mouth onto the unicorn raider. The goop covered both her eyes and her horn, stopping her from casting any spell that she planned on using on me. I charge at her, and before she can do anything I ram my curved horn right into her chest, piercing her heart, killing her. However, in my rage, I forgot about the two raiders that were beside her, and are now flanking me. Before I could turn to engage them, however, the raider to my right drew his weapon up and fired 3 shots at me. Lucky for me, the weapon was in bad condition, and so was the radier after his long night of drinking. two of his shots sailed over my head, completely missing me. But his last shot found its mark, piercing me right in my side, burrowing itself into my chitin. I cry out with a hiss of agony, pulling my horn out from the unicorn with a wet popping noise, turning to the stallion who shot me, a look of fury in his eyes. I could sense the fear he had for me, a creature that he has never seen before, that has already killed two of his raider acomplences.
“Run, run while you still can.” I growl at him, a low buzz in my voice. He is visibly shaking now, his eyes wide with fear. But before either of us can make a move the air is suddenly filled with bullets, the sound of gunfire loud in my sensitive ears. I run behind the tent, trying to find some form of cover, as I lie on the ground with bullets passing over my head as they rip and tear through the tent, offering me no cover from the frenzy of gunfire. I look behind me out into the night, and see a hill about 6 yards away from where I currently was. I wanted to stay and fight, but i was outmanned and outgunned, and finally decided that it was time for me to flee. I run at full speed, using my insect wings to propel myself even faster as I run. I hear yelling behind me, as another flurry of bullets tears into the sky, this time, I take multiple hits before I finally reach the hill, and use it as cover as I keep running, off into the night.
As I run off into the direction of pull on my mind, I suddenly fall to the ground, unable to move.
“What the hell is going on?”
As my adrenaline rush from before finally wears off, I finally realize why I’m not able to move. I took multiple hits to my back and flank, green blood oozing from my wounds, the pain washing over me like a wave. The rush of pain is so sudden, that I can’t help but let loose a scream of anguish. I lie there on the ground, teeth clenched as i reach for a healing potion. My hoof only grabs empty air, however, as i remember that when the raiders confiscated my things when they captured me, i never got my stuff back. Shit. No healing potions, no guns, no nothing. I won't survive. I begin to hyperventilate, my panic rising as i'm about to scream once again. Then i fainted.
The female changeling is once again standing in front of me, staring at me. I hear a faint sigh come from her.
“Can. You. Hear. Me?” she said, her voice sounding prominent, but distant.
“Yeah, I can, but who are you?” wait a second. I can hear her! “ I can hear you! Yes! Finally!”
“You can? Thank the queen! Now get me out of here!”
“Where are you?” I ask.
“I’m in a cave in the mountains, you'll find me there. I need you to find me, soon!” as she said those last words, the female changeling began to fade back into the darkness.
“Wait! Don't go! Who are you? And why do I need to find you?!” before I could hear an answer, she faded completely away, and then I woke up.
As i laid there on the ground, I could hear the wind whistling past, howling and screeching as it blows. I open weakly open my eyes, and see nothing but dust and sand blowing around me, whipping past my wounded body. The pull on my mind is stronger then ever, my physical body being tugged along by an invisible string, towards the cliffs. Despite my grievous wounds, i get up on my hooves, and begin to run. kicking up dust behind me, I run like I never have before, my body broken and tired, running faster, further, and harder than i ever had in my entire life. The mountains looming ever closer, with tears in my eyes as dust clouds my vision. As the pull takes me ever closer, i can see a cave within the mountains, a small black hole within the rocks. With a last burst of energy, Pushing my broken and bruised body past its limits, I sprint towards the opening of the cave. Once I reach the cave, I slow myself down to a trot, constantly moving, as I know as soon as I stop that I will collapse. The cave is pitch black inside, and about 2 ponies wide. My changeling eyes begin to adjust, allowing me to see in the dark. At the end of the cave is a green glow, barely even noticeable within the darkness. As I get closer, I begin to see the object that is causing the glow. A changeling cocoon hangs from the roof of the cave, a figure of a pony inside. What is this doing here? Why am I being drawn to it? I walk closer to the cocoon, and jump back, startled to as what I saw inside. Another Changeling! Holy shit! Its another Changeling! I’m truly not the only one! At closer inspection, I notice that changeling is a female, in some sort of comatose state. What is she doing here? Is she the one from my dreams? I need some answers, and I want them now. I use my sharp, curved horn to cut open the cocoon, causing the other changeling to fall to the ground with a thud. The fluid from the cocoon spills onto the cave floor, washing past my hooves. I fill with joy at the sight of her breathing, as she opens her large, featureless blue eyes. However as I open my muzzle to speak, my adrenaline leaves my body causing me to collapse on the ground, feeling broken, and so, very, very tired. As my eyelids become too heavy to keep open, I close them, and faint, the other changeling staring at me intently.
